Thank God I'm Atheist

With the rise of the "spiritual but not religious" category, more people are turning to AI for spiritual guidance instead of pastors. What does it mean for people to seek spiritual, moral, and life guidance from a source that guides you toward an ever more personalized and isolated spiritual experience?
We also discuss: Noah's Ark hunters are digging around in Turkey again, a judge shuts down an attempt to weaken the Johnson Amendment, assisted dying gets voted down in England and Wales, New Zealand finally hits Gloriavale where it hurts, new Pew numbers show Mormon retention slipping, and Christians lose it over Meryl Streep being cast as the Christ-like lion in the new Narnia.
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How did you become an atheist? Do you feel like you had any choice in the matter? Or was it something you ultimately couldn't ignore? This week Frank and Dan discuss the road to atheism and the surprising paths people take on their way to accepting the nonexistence of the god.
Also some wacky religious news from the week: abortion pills in the water, a pastor clashes with Native American traditions, religious holiday displays in Dearborn, a Texas city denies a Pride event, Jehovah's Witnesses loosen their blood transfusion rules, and a megachurch takes surveillance to a whole new level.

Frank just got back from Italy and has some stories to tell! Catholic churches, baby Jesus art, so much Jesus blood, Mary's wedding ring, and a visit to Assisi to see St. Carlo's dead body.
But first, there's a bunch of wacky religious news from the week: Eiffel Tower workers strike over hiding female staff, Trump leads a bizarre voting pledge, Austria bans hijabs for young girls in schools, a convicted pastor shows up at a Senate campaign event, OpenAI sued after ChatGPT feeds man's delusions, and Giuliani loses it over Mamdani attending the 9/11 ceremony.

Kate fills in for Frank this week, joining Dan for a conversation about neurodivergence, religious belief, and why some brains may process spiritual experiences differently than others. They compare religion to imagination, play, and believing in Santa, and wonder whether neurodivergent people may be less inclined to attach supernatural meaning to powerful emotional experiences.
But first:

A Texas evangelical takes matters into his own hands when the flag is lowered to honor Dolly Parton.
Samaritan's Purse turns down $300 million from the Trump administration—and nobody seems quite sure why.
Bethel Church racks up scandals, failed prophecies, and some remarkably durable forgiveness for badly behaved men.
A Maine court rules that a father can restrict his daughter's exposure to a church whose teachings were causing her severe anxiety.
Christian evangelists get kicked out of Burning Man and, naturally, call it persecution.
Catholic televangelist Fulton Sheen is headed for beatification, complete with a miracle, a mysterious relic, and possibly a piece of the man himself.

This week, we remember two iconic figures who helped make the world feel a little more accepting in very different ways. Dolly Parton embodied a version of Christianity rooted in love, generosity, and an instinctive refusal to exclude people who weren't like her. Tim Curry, meanwhile, helped bring transgressive sexuality, camp, and gender-bending performance into the cultural mainstream. Together, they represent two very different paths toward the same idea of giving people permission to be fully themselves

Also:

An Anglican church in hot water after a visit from a sex worker.
Miss North Carolina loses her crown—and calls it Christian persecution.
Catholic doctors push back against Illinois' assisted-dying law.
Did New Jersey make prayer illegal?
Milo Yiannopoulos gets an unexpected lesson in immigration enforcement.
AI-generated religious influencers are gaining millions of followers.